


5 Times Bucky Barnes Wanted To Kiss Sam Wilson And 1 Time He Actually Did

by DigitalGhost



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: 5+1, Bucky and Sam babysit Morgan, Bucky gets drunk, Cute, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Humor, Kisses, Living Together, M/M, Pining, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), SAM WILSON CAPTAIN AMERICA, Soft kissing, WinterFalcon - Freeform, puns, so much pining, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-10-27 00:27:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20751281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DigitalGhost/pseuds/DigitalGhost
Summary: "No!" He told himself firmly. "Come on, he's your closest friend. Don't ruin that with another stupid little crush. He may be cute… and gorgeous… and smart… and understanding…"





	5 Times Bucky Barnes Wanted To Kiss Sam Wilson And 1 Time He Actually Did

**Author's Note:**

> i woke up at 1 am with sudden inspiration to write this, but for middle of the night writing, it's not bad :p

**Ⅰ.** The first time it happened, Bucky didn't know what to make of it. Romantic desires were the last thing on his mind as he got up from his bed to go to the kitchen. Reading for four hours can make one quite hungry.

The apartment he currently called home wasn't bad; two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a small living room connected to a kitchen. Two years ago (no, seven, he corrected himself), if someone had told him he'd be sharing an apartment with the infamous Sam Wilson, Bucky would've laughed humorlessly and reminded them how much he'd wanted to punch him. Heck, he'd probably go over and punch Sam just to prove it.

But yet, here he was, living with that same guy, neither of them really having anywhere else to go. Loners tend to stick together, as it turned out.

Thankfully, Sam wasn't all that bad a guy. He was an excellent cook (good thing too, since Bucky was a shit cook), always volunteered to do the dishes, and always seemed to know when Bucky needed space. This last one was a pleasant surprise, because all that Bucky consciously knew was either solitude, or constantly being smothered with attention by Steve. It was nice, having room to breathe once in a while.

In fact, today had started out as one of those days, a bit of a nightmare and PTSD flashback combined. He hadn't actually said anything about it, but the black man had picked up on it anyway, quickly making pancakes then 'going out for a couple hours'. He felt a bit like a burden, making Sam leave unexpectedly for so long, but he appreciated it nonetheless.

But it seemed Sam was done with wherever he'd been, and had been for a while, because once in the living room, a passed-out Sam greeted him, sprawled on the couch with a book fallen to the floor.

When awake, Sam Wilson was always one to move, not just his body but facial expressions, quirking his mouth or eyes in small, seemingly-unconscious ways. But when asleep… He looked truly at peace, dark eyelashes gently brushing his chocolatey skin, mouth tilted in a faint smile, chest slowly rising and falling with deep breaths.

Had Bucky really never noticed Sam's mouth before today? His lips were the same size and color as always, but.. were they always this plush, and soft-looking? Sam's lips parted just the tiniest bit, not even enough to show the teeth in detail, but yet…

Sam shifted his legs, still asleep, but the movement startled Bucky to wake  _ him _ up from whatever daze he'd been in. He hadn't realized he walked across the room, now two feet away from Sam.

Treading quietly as to not wake the sleeping man, he grabbed an apple and a couple pretzels from the kitchen, and retreated back to his room, thoughts not on the book in front of him but on the sources of the small snores from the next room.

**Ⅱ.** The second time it occurred, it was just as unexpected as the first. One time was nothing, so Bucky had foolishly brushed it off.

It was just a regular Saturday afternoon, and Bucky had just got back from getting groceries. (Looking at all the the interesting things at the store was a favored activity of Bucky's. Also Sam needed ingredients for dinner.)

Now, ever since Bucky had told Sam about the specifics of his mental state, he could tell that Sam was trying to sneak in therapeutic activities into his schedule. Bucky didn't really mind, as it was something to do during the day.

Bucky had never been any good at drawing, that'd been Steve's thing. The same with cooking, and whoever came up with 'therapeutic cleaning' was insane.

But. it was when they passed a 100-piece puzzle of birds at Walmart that they found the break-through. Animals, scenery, Disney movies, puzzles of every sort could now be found somewhere in their home.

Sometimes Bucky did them by himself. Other times he'd good-naturedly force Sam to join him. Sam never refused.

But now, his roommate (housemate? Whatever) was working on one of their newer puzzles, a 1000-piece jungle-themed jigsaw, all by his lonesome. His eyes had the same lazer-focus that they did on the battlefield, eyebrows creased a little as he worked on the puzzle.

And Sam called Bucky an old man.

Sam didn't seem to realize Bucky was there, or at least didn't want to acknowledge him. It was probably the former, as a long moment of silence passed, consisting of nothing but Sam biting his lip and Bucky accidentally staring at that occurrence.

A sudden thump made both of them jump, and, looking down, the fallen grocery bag made Bucky realize that, distracted, his grip on the bag of cereals has slackened.

"Oh, man, you made me jump there…" Sam chuckled, looking over at Bucky.

"No, I'm sorry…" Bucky half-mumbled, scrambling to pick up the bag.

"No need to apologize, I just didn't hear you come in." Sam said, making his way over to the kitchen. "You want help putting these way?"

"Oh, sure…" He said, still a little mortified. He suddenly became very aware of all the times he and Sam brushed arms as they put away groceries. He almost put the milk in the pantry, distracted as he was.

"Hey, Barnes."

Bucky anxiously turned around, not sure he could handle an actual conversation right now. "Yeah?"

"You all right? You seem a bit…" With a shit-eating grin, Sam held up the carton of eggs. " _ scrambled." _

Bucky groaned.

"Oh, come on, I know that was a bit  _ cheesy _ …" He grabbed some sliced cheese. "And you may feel that I'm just  _ milking _ these out…" Cue the gesture to the milk jugs. "But don't be so cold on me now!" He opened the freezer, throwing a daunting look behind him as he put away the fruit. "It's no fun if you get  _ salty _ about it-"

"Oh my  _ god _ ."

"If you try hard enough, I'm sure you can ketchup to my supreme pun skills."

"Being  _ dust _ was worse than this."

"C'mon man, why the glare? You feelin' a little…" After a moment, Bucky dared to look. A grinning Sam holding strawberry jam greeted him. "Jelly?"

"Sam, I swear to GOD-"

**Ⅲ.** A while passed after the pun incident. Sam learned to watch his words, and Bucky almost forgot all about it.

After all, one time is nothing. Twice is a coincidence. But three times… Well, he wouldn't even have to think about that, right? Right..?

Just after lunch on Whatever-Day-Of-The-Week, they got a phone call from Pepper. Sam was all ready to go to action, but it turned out that an important business-meeting-type things had come up, and Happy wasn't available, busy looking after the Spider-Kid or something. Long story short, she needed someone to watch Morgan, and Morgan  _ really _ liked playing Princesses with Bucky. Nobody really knew why. Nevertheless, he agreed to come over for the afternoon.

"So, you're going over to watch Morgan?" Sam asked after Bucky hung up.

"Yup."

"All alone?"

"Yeah…?"

"Nuh-uh, no way." Sam said, standing up. "You may be watching Morgan, but she's more of an adult than you are. I'm going with you."

"What-"

"No buts."

Bucky groaned internally. "Fine. We leave in five minutes."

* * *

"Dude, wake up, we're almost here." Sam's voice said suddenly, interrupting his nap.

Ugh. Sleeping in cars. Bucky groaned as he slowly tried to de-cramp his neck and rub his eyes. "Ugh… is it too late for coffee?"

Sam laughed. "Man, the nearest Starbucks is half an hour behind us. So no."

"How did Stark manage to live in the middle of nowhere then?"

There was only a slight hesitation, as neither of them had known him very well. "Well, him being the  _ owner of Stark Industries _ , he probably had his house robots just make him coffee. Or pay someone else to go and get some."

"Sounds fancy, but wasn't Pepper the owner?"

"Man, I don't keep track…"

Bucky laughed, not even entirely sure as to why.

Another few minutes on the road passed, before, once again, Sam broke the silence."You ever gonna shave that beard of yours, Barnes?"

Bucky chuckled. "Why, you don't like it?"

"Nah man, it looks good on you. I'm just wondering if I should be expecting you to start wearing flannel and cutting down trees. Lumberjack Barnes."

...A lumberjack? "If anyone were to be a lumberjack, it's be Steve with that wild man's beard back before Thanos."

"Oh, I know, right?" Sam grinned.

_ 't looks good on you.' _ Sam had actually given him a compliment? And a non-joking one on his appearance, no less. A warm feeling not unlike Hot Cocoa seeped through him.

All too soon, they arrived at the Starks' house. Sam hadn't even finished turned off the car before a little brunette girl in a purple princess dress ran out toward them, Pepper close behind.

"Sammy!!" Morgan cried, wrapping her little arms around Sam's legs.

"Oh, wow, thanks.." Bucky muttered to himself, watching Sam return the girl's affection.

"Thank you boys so much for coming over," Pepper said, hustling out behind her daughter. "Make sure she doesn't get into trouble, and that she eats, and naps if she wants to, and-"

"Pepper!" Bucky interrupted, slowing her down. "We've done this before, we'll be fine."

"Right." She took a deep breath, and continued her path to her car. "Thanks again!"

He lifted a hand in farewell as she disappeared down the road. Bucky turned back around toward Sam and Morgan, ready to attack the latter in a flurry of tickles.

Sam, however, already had gathered her attention. A game of tag was seemingly at play, the tall man slowly following the little girl's hurried steps and high-pitched squeals.

Morgan darted behind a tree, and according to Sam's exaggerated confusion, she was efficiently hidden. A wide grin slowly grew on Sam's face as he peered around the yard, inching closer to the tree.

Even from here, Bucky could see the whiteness of Sam's teeth.

While Sam was turned the other way, Morgan sped out from behind the tree and toward Bucky. She came to a stop behind Bucky's legs, but then peered up at him curiously.

"Why are you smiling so big at Sammy?" She whispered with big eyes.

Startled, Bucky looked down at her. "Was I?"

Morgan looked up at him with a  _ 'silly, Bucky!' _ expression. "Yeah! A really, really big smile! Like… like how Mommy looks at Daddy!"

Leave it to little kids to come up with crazy ideas.

Noting the present tense, he reached down and ruffled her hair. She was so young…

"Hey, Barnes!" Sam called as he walked over. "You haven't happened to have seen a little girl around here, about this tall, in a purple princess dress?"

A grin formed as he met Sam's gaze. "Nope, haven't seen her."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely."

They stared at each other for a while, both with teasing grins on their faces. The white of Sam's teeth was showing again.

Suddenly, Morgan squealed and ran off toward the house. Bucky and Sam shared a knowing glance, then went and chased her down together.

**Ⅳ.** "Hey. You still hungry?"

Bucky looked up from doing the post-dinner dishes, over at Sam leaning against the counter. "Kind of, I guess. Why do you ask?"

Sam shrugged. "Just thought I'd try out a new cookie recipe, is all."

Bucky turned back to the sink. "Fine by me."

"Alright." Sam replied, and although Bucky was turned the other way, he could hear Sam muttering to himself as he got out the ingredients and mixed them together. He wordlessly listened as he continued the dishes.

"Hey." Sam's voice sounded suddenly, coming from over his shoulder. It seemed to Bucky that he jumped visibly, but if he did, Sam said nothing. "Can you wash that measuring cup right there for me?"

"Oh… Yeah, sure." Bucky quickly washed it, trying to ignore Sam's form in the corner of his eye. He handed the cup to Sam, who took it, but then stayed at his side just a little longer. He saw Sam smile at him though, before he turned away again.

An accidental splash of water on his shirt distracted him from overthinking anything though.

After an eternity, he  _ finally _ finished washing the dishes. Though he'd have to get Sam to clean up his cookie-related mess in a while. After drying his hands, he walked over to where the cookie magic was happening. Intrigued, he looked over at Sam.

"Sam, is that… is that cookie dough on your mouth?"

Sam's eyes widened slightly, and he tried to nonchalantly wipe the dough off his face. "No…"

"Yes it is! Wow, imagine the news when Avenger Sam WIlson dies twice, once from Thanos and once from Salmonella."

Sam scoffed as he continued to prepare the dough. "I thought we'd stopped wishing death threats on each other, Barnes."

"Nah, this ain't a death threat." Bucky rested his chin on his hands with a sly smile. "It's just the facts. That dough is gonna kill you and I don't even have to lift a finger."

"Maybe I'll just eat all the cookies then, so you and your salmonella threats won't get any."

"I don't think you'd fit into any sort of uniform if you did that, Wilson."

"At least you wouldn't get any cookies then."

They fell into a comfortable silence, and Bucky looked up at Sam's mouth again to check for cookie dough. There wasn't any, but yet he found himself still looking.

And if he may have stolen some cookie dough when Sam wasn't looking, at least they'd both be dead of salmonella poisoning.

**Ⅴ.** "Living with Sam every day gets really old." Bucky was saying. "I'm telling you, Wanda, he's annoying."

He swayed a little in his seat, but not enough to fall over. Next to him, Wanda chuckled to herself.

Being a Friday night with no other plans, he and Sam had invited Wanda out for drinks, as she was 21 by now, not counting their five years of absence.

Sam returned from wherever he'd scuttled off to, sliding into the other side of their booth.

"Are you making fun of me, Bucky?" Sam asked, stretching out the last syllables.

"Maybe I am, Samuel…" He did the same with the other man's name.

"Well… Well, Wanda, over here, she's on my side, on my  _ team _ . She won't stand for any of this teasing me!"

"Actually, I don't mind at all." Wanda mumbled, her accent coming back thick through the drink."

"That's no fun…" Sam trailed off as Bucky laughed/

A while later, Sam got caught up in an argument with Wanda, what about Bucky couldn't tell you. Instead, he watched the other man as he talked, passionately defending his point.

Sam was beautiful. Well, he was  _ always _ beautiful, but now, swept up in a debate and not a care for those who saw or judge, his beauty really shone brightly through.

Sam suddenly gave up on his point with a huff and Bucky spoke without thinking.

"Sam." He was trying to sound serious, but unless his drunken ears were deceiving him, he wasn't doing a good job. "I gotta tell you somethin;, man…"

"What?"

Bucky looked him right in the eye. "Has anyone ever told you that you look like chocolate? 'Cause if they have, then they're wrong… 'Cause you don't look like chocolate. More like… Like chocolate went and had sex with a cappaccino, you would be their baby. Chocolate and cappuccino combined… Chocolaccino, since you're so sweet and smooth."

Both Sam and Wanda were looking at him. Wanda smiled to herself and took another drink, but Sam continued staring at him.

"A… chocolaccino, huh?" Sam asked, smiling slightly.

"well, yeah…" Bucky suddenly regretted sharing his thought - Actually, no, nevermind, because of his little outburst he was currently getting a full, detailed view of Sam's face, along with his undivided attention.

"Well, I've never heard of a chocolaccino before. You're pretty darn creative." Sam was slurring a bit by now.

"Oh, well, thank you…" Wanda had to be working her magic right now, ecause what else could be causing that tingly feeling rising in his chest?

Well, maybe it was all his drinks.

**+Ⅰ.** "The sedatives shouldn't wear off for a few more hours, so make sure he is supervised until then." The Wakandan doctor told him as Bucky slowly sat up on the operating table.

"Will do." Sam said as he walked over to help the other man.

Bucky had been complaining about pains in weird places lately, so at Sam's pestering he'd gone to get it checked out. As light and strong as vibranium may be, it can still cause damage over time, especially on Bucky's shoulder where leftover damage from the other arm still lingered. Long story short, Shuri had wanted to see the 'White Wolf' again, so here was Sam and Bucky in Wakanda, after the operation.

"Sam?" Bucky asked softly, when he saw Sam coming over.

"Yup, it's Sam. Your best and worst buddy." He said it mindlessly, wrapping Bucky's good arm around his own neck. The left hung loose in a sling.

"Buddy…" Bucky seemed to ponder the word as they walked out. He apparently didn't like it, because as they exited the room, he pouted, eyes squinted and lips out. It was one of the cutest things Sam had ever seen,

_ 'No!' _ He told himself, as Bucky got over his pout and looked out the window with child-like interest.  _ 'Sam, he's your closest friend. Don't ruin that with another stupid little crush. He may be cute… and gorgeous… and smart… and understanding…' _

"Sam, oh my god look!" Bucky said suddenly, wrestling himself free of Sam's grip. A bolt of worry shot through his system, until he realized Bucky had just gone closer to the window. "Look! There's butterflies!" He gasped in delight.

Sam smiled, as it was nice to see Bucky so purely happy for once. What had he been like back before all the brainwashed-assassin junk? Though in the middle of a world-wide war, he hoped Bucky had been able to smile easily back then.

"Come one, Buck, it's been long enough." Both the nickname and grabbing the other man's free hand were without a second thought. It took him a few seconds to realize what he'd done. His eyes widened, but he didn't do anything. If he let go of Bucky's hand, the other man might realize in the lack of contact what Sam had done. He might be somewhat sedated, but still.

So they walked all the way back to their Quinjet, which took half an hour, holding hands the entire way. The people who saw didn't even blink, except when he saw Shuri express the real life equivalent of a Lenny face at him from far away. He pretended not to have seen.

He got Bucky to sit down once inside the jet, and after letting go of his hand, went over toward the controls to activate autopilot. Managing Bucky was currently like babysitting Morgan; it needed his full attention.

"Saaaammmm," Bucky called as Sam walked back to him. "Come heeeeerreeee!"

"I'm here, you dumbass." He said teasingly as he sat down next to Bucky.

"Why  _ do _ you have a beard like that?" The brunette asked, cocking his head.

Sam chuckled. "I just like it this way, I guess."

Hardly ten seconds passed before another question.

"Why were you named Falcon?"

"'Cause of my wings, I'd guess," He said, laughing slightly. "But I didn't get to pick the name."

Bucky looked deep in thought at that. "So… I could just call you Bird Guy? Or maybe Eagle? Hmm… This is hard, I can see why they just chose Falcon."

Sam muttered something to himself, but evidently forgot he was sitting next to a supersoldier.

"What'd you say, Sam?" Bucky inquired with an honest expression.

He sighed. "I was just saying, that it doesn't matter what bird I'm named after, since I'm supposed to be  _ Captain America _ now-"

Of all the things that a drugged Bucky could do, a kiss on the lips was probably the most unexpected.

The kiss wasn't too intense or intimate, but it wasn't just a peck, either. Sam savored it anyway; he wanted to memorize the sweet minty taste of Bucky's lips.

Finally, Bucky pulled away with a simple smile. "Did that make you happy?"

It took a few tries to get words to work. "I-uh, y-yeah? I mean, of course, but… why does it matter?"

Bucky smiled at him. "You were kinda seeming sad when you were talking about being Captain America, so… I thought a kiss would cheer you up! So… did it?"

A wave of affection washed over him. "Yeah. It did."

A few minutes of silence passed, nothing happening except Bucky hooking Sam's pinkie with his own.

"Are… Are you still sad?" Bucky suddenly asked.

"Buck, I'm never sad around you." Strangely, it didn't bother him that it was the truth.

Bucky did that adorable out again, and Sam smiled. "What, you  _ want _ me to be sad?"

The other man looked up quickly, eyes wide. "No! Well… Maybe, since I'd get to kiss you again."

_ Oh. _ This was usually the part where, way back when, Riley would call him an idiot.

He found himself already leaning in. "Buck, you can kiss me even if I'm not sad. Whenever you want, even."

Blue-gray eyes were locked on him now, and Sam was drowning in those deep seas. "Really?"

Sam's only response was closing his eyes, and (finally) kissing Bucky Barnes.

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this just after endgame came out, with t h o s e e v e n t s turning me to shipping winterfalcon faster than steve abandonded buck ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
leave comments and kudos blees, they're much appreciated!!! :))


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